Equipment
Ingredients
Chorizo and Red Wine Chutney
- 150 g cured spicy chorizo, casing removed, finely diced
- 150 g red onion, finely diced
- 100 ml dry red wine
- 30 ml red wine vinegar
- 40 g dark brown sugar
- 2 g smoked paprika
- 1 g red chili flakes
Parmesan and Poppy Seed Biscuits
- 200 g plain flour
- 100 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 80 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 15 g poppy seeds
- 4 g baking powder
- 2 g fine sea salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 20 ml whole milk, ice cold
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Place the finely diced chorizo into a cold, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the chorizo renders its vibrant red oil and begins to crisp at the edges.
Add the diced red onion to the saucepan with the chorizo. Cook in the rendered fat until the onions are completely softened and translucent.
Stir in the red wine, red wine vinegar, dark brown sugar, smoked paprika, and chili flakes. Reduce the heat to low and allow the mixture to bubble gently until it thickens into a glossy, jam-like consistency. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine the plain flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and rub the mixture between your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Stir the finely grated parmesan cheese and poppy seeds into the flour mixture, ensuring they are evenly distributed.
Add the egg yolk and cold milk to the dry ingredients. Gently bring the mixture together with your hands until it just forms a cohesive dough. Do not overwork it.
Flatten the dough into a thick disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator to firm up.
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to a thickness of about 5mm. Use a 5cm round cutter to stamp out biscuits. Re-roll the scraps gently to use all the dough.
Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, leaving a small gap between each. Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C/350°F until the edges are golden brown.
Allow the biscuits to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. To serve, spoon a teaspoon of the room temperature chorizo chutney onto each biscuit.
Chef's Notes
- Starting the chorizo in a cold pan helps render the fat slowly, preventing the paprika in the sausage from burning before the meat gets crispy.
- For the sharpest biscuit edges, chill the cut dough rounds on the baking tray for 10 minutes before baking to solidify the butter completely.
- The chutney tastes best when made a day in advance. The resting time allows the vinegar, sugar, and spiced pork fat to meld into a deeper, more rounded flavor.
- Use a block of real Parmigiano-Reggiano and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheeses are coated in anti-caking agents that disrupt the buttery, melt-in-the-mouth texture of short savory biscuits.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store biscuits and chutney in separate airtight containers. Biscuits stay crisp for 3 days; chutney lasts up to 2 weeks.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze unbaked biscuit dough wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Chutney freezes well.
Reheating: Reheat chutney gently in a saucepan over low heat or serve at room temperature. Refresh biscuits in a 150C/300F oven for 5 minutes if they lose their crispness.
